Rebellion and Royalty
by tigger666
Summary: Annabeth is a rebellious teenage princess who just wants to see the world outside of the palace gates. The Duchess, who will stop at nothing to make the princess unhappy, hires a guard to keep Annabeth "out of trouble". The guard's name: Percy Jackson. What will happen as sparks fly between the protector and princess, and how will they overcome the obstacles thrown their way?
1. Chapter 1

Sorry chapter one is short! Don't worry there will be more to come!

Also credit goes to Rick Riordan. Except for the plot and character which I made up.

ENJOY and please COMMENT

**chapter one **

It was a beautiful afternoon in May. The sun was out, the flowers in bloom, and the birds singing. And Princess Annabeth Chase of Olympia would have given anything to be outside in the glorious weather.

The princess was 16 years old - young, rebellious, and eager to go out and explore the world. She was beautiful as well, blessed with golden curly hair and alluring grey eyes. However, her royal status made it challenging for her to leave the palace grounds, to go dancing in the village or swimming in the ocean - things she longed to do.

Instead, she was trapped inside the palace with her tutors, who were tirelessly reviewing Latin and calculus. Annabeth loved to learn, but she hated being cramped inside. And frankly she had already known about derivatives, continuous functions, and Latin grammar since she was eleven.

As Annabeth sat at her intricately-carved desk, drearily reciting the meanings of Latin roots, she was already planning her escape. In two minutes she would excuse herself to go to the bathroom and sneak out the window, climbing down the terrace overgrown with vines. The royal gardeners would be grooming the west end's bushes (Annabeth had memorized their routines) so no one would see her dash to the horse stables, where she kept a satchel and change of clothes. Then Annabeth, disguised in a pair of old torn jeans that were much more her style and black scarf to cover her blonde tresses, took off on her horse, a huge brown Clydesdale named Serendipity.

Her plan was pulled off perfectly without a sinch, and the teenage girl laughed as she ripped off her head scarf, letting the wind send her hair flying behind her as Serendipity galloped down the dirt trail through the green meadows surrounding the palace gates. The princess preferred horseback riding to driving anyday. Annabeth felt like she was on the top of the world. She gripped the reins with one hand and threw her other arm into the sky, enjoying the elated feeling of soaring in the saddle of such a massive horse.

The pair rode until they reached the top of a hill with a tree overlooking the surrounding fields. There weren't any people around for miles, so she didn't have to worry about anyone seeing or taking her picture. Annabeth patted the side of Serendipity's flank as she slowed to a stop, and swung her feet over to hop out of the saddle. She pulled a bundle of carrots out of her satchel and offered them to her horse while petting her soft muzzle. Serendipity may have been a giant, but she was as gentle as a lamb and was loyal to Annabeth. So loyal that the princess allowed the Clydesdale to roam around grazing freely without worrying about whether or not the horse would return.

Annabeth sat beneath the tree all afternoon, reading novels and writing in her journal. When she got bored or her back was stiff, she would cartwheel down the hill or climb to the top of the tree and take in the amazing views - she could see the palace grounds in the distance and reveled in the fact that she wasn't there. To the north, she could see a small village and made a vow to herself that she would go there some time, the next time she could run away from the castle. In the meadow, Annabeth allowed herself to daydream and imagine a life for herself where she wasn't a princess, but a writer, or maybe an equestrian, living a simple ordinary life.

Annabeth had a bad habit of losing track of time, and soon the sun was setting and she quickly realized that she had been away for too long. She stuffed her things into her leather bag and ran down the hill, "Serendipity!"

The horse came trotting toward her. Annabeth jumped on as quickly as she could and they began their return to the castle. She unsaddled Serendipity in the royal stable, got redressed into her silk dress, and then ran to the back entrance of the palace.

"Annabeth! Where in heaven's name have you been all day? The duchess was looking for you! She's more infuriated than I've ever seen!" Annabeth's housemaid, Selena, a kind and beautiful middle-aged woman who was as close as a mother figure in the princess's life (her real mother had passed away when Annabeth was 8), called after her in the halls and effectively stopping her mad dash to her suite.

Annabeth turned around slowly, a little out of breath, "I'm so sorry, Ms. Selena. I was just reading and got caught up and lost track of time."

The maid sighed and looked at the young girl, "I know you don't like staying inside Annabeth, but you must stop disappearing. Everyone gets so worried," she looked Annabeth up and down, "And your nice dress, all wrinkled! What will the Duchess say?"

_I don't care what the Duchess says, _Annabeth huffed to herself. The lousy woman was just after her father, the king, for his wealth and position. She didn't care one bit about Annabeth's happiness and only bothered about her appearance and finding her a husband.

A young servant came rushing down the hall, "Your Majesty! Princess Annabeth! There you are! The Duchess and the King request your presence in the throne room immediately."

Annabeth huffed, knowing she would have to go listen to another one of the Duchess's hour long spiels about how she was a disappointment, failure of a princess and selling the King lies about how she shouldn't be able to leave the castle or do anything un-royal like or enjoyable at all.

"Yes, of course. I will be there momentarily," Annabeth said with a sigh. Selena pulled at Annabeth's gown in an attempt to straighten it up as they walked through the palace.

"You must be nice and polite, Annabeth," Selena said in a chastising tone.

"What? I am always polite and kind!" Annabeth responded.

Selena raised her eyebrows at her in a look of warning.

"It's not my fault that I don't agree with the Duchess's ridiculous ideas. I should be allowed to voice my opinions. Especially if I'm supposed to run this nation one day. Honestly, I don't know what all the crap she makes up about me being ladylike is even about. Being ladylike and quiet isn't going to help me win a debate with Parliament…" Annabeth's voice raised as she continued her rant and Selena coughed as they approached the throne room, where the workers were staring at the princess with looks of disapproval.

Duchess Carmila, an older stingy lady who still wore ridiculous amounts of makeup and impeccable dresses and heels on the daily for the sole purpose of flaunting their fortune, was glaring at Annabeth as she approached. However, the King sitting in the throne beside her looked at his daughter with nothing but love and endearment.

"Hi Daddy!" Annabeth exclaimed as she went up to hug and kiss him on the cheek.

"My beautiful girl! How is your day going?" the King asked his daughter as she stood before him.

Annabeth opened her mouth to respond but the Duchess interrupted, "She was missing for 5 hours, Your Highness. From 1:00 to 6:o0 she disappeared and no one had any idea where she went! Do you care to tell us where you were, Annabeth?"

"I sincerely apologize for any concern I caused you," Annabeth said dully, "I was reading and got caught up and lost track of time."

"You were outside of the palace grounds, weren't you, Annabeth? I know you were," the Duchess began her interrogation but thankfully the King stepped in. Annabeth wondered how the Duchess was able to look like a clown, while simultaneously behaving like a stubborn old lady and whining baby.

"Oh give it a rest Carmila. She's like her father, in love with reading. It's not her fault she gets so immersed in the books she reads," the King said, speaking up for her daughter.

"Fine, but you agreed on what we discussed before. Annabeth, you will be assigned a guard to watch over you, protect you, and make sure you stay out of trouble. We are tired of your disappearances and your unladylike, inappropriate behavior," the Duchess gestured to her side and Annabeth was vaguely aware of her realization that someone else had been in the throne room with them the entire time.

Anger and resentment bubbled up in her chest, "A guard? That is ridiculous! I do not need to be protected like the crown jewels you lock up under maximum security! I should be allowed to do what I want and not live beneath a book of manners or your dictatorship over what is or isn't acceptable for a princess to do!"

The Duchess's eyes flashed, "Do you hear yourself? A young lady should never raise her voice like so! A princess should be quiet and beautiful so she may find a husband to look after her after her father passes."

"_Husband_? Are you insane? We are in the 21st century, not the Medieval ages! There is absolutely no reason I can't take care of myself! I _don't_ need protection," Annabeth insisted, glowering at Carmila.

"Annabeth, I'm afraid this conversation is over," the Duchess said. Annabeth looked pleadingly at her father but he would not meet her eyes. _How on earth does he find this to be the right decision? _"Meet your new protector, Sir Percy Jackson."

A young man, who couldn't be much older than the princess, stepped forward. Annabeth rolled her eyes and turned to look at him. He was handsome, with tousled raven hair, sparkling sea green eyes, and a lean body. He bowed to the King, then to Annabeth, "It is my pleasure to serve you, Your Majesty."

Annabeth huffed and ran from the room, tears beginning to form in her eyes. She heard Selena calling after her, and the Duchess order the new guard to follow her. The princess took off down the winding palace halls, determined to lose the new _Sir Percy Jackson_. The voice in her brain said his name mockingly. How dare the Duchess enlist someone to protect her! It was a whole new level of insane, of confinement!

The princess sprinted through the castle, purposefully taking the secret hidden passageways few knew about, until she ended in the small dark room in the tallest tower that she once considered her hideout, which she shared with her two best friends and ladies in waiting - Piper McClean and Thalia Grace.

She curled up in a ball and looked out the window, enjoying the view even the tree in the meadow couldn't beat. The more she thought about the Duchess and the protector and her father not sticking up for her and her empty future, the angrier she got and soon she was crying and rocking back and forth with her knees to her chest. It was so unfair!

She missed her mother more than she had in a long time. Her mother, Athena, would never make her have a protector. Athena would take her on trips outside of the castle, and encourage her to play, get dirty, and stand up for her beliefs. Her mother would never, ever tell her she needed a husband to take care of her. Athena had been one of the 3 people in the entire world who knew about her hideout in the tower, even the King was unaware of its whereabouts.

Annabeth heard someone coming behind the door and quickly hid behind a pillar that held the ceiling up. The secret door opened and Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief when it was only Thalia and Piper.

Both girls were Annabeth's age, and they had been best friends since birth. Thalia had black hair cut edgily and sharp electric blue eyes. Piper had choppy brunette hair with mini braids and kaleidoscope eyes that changed color depending on her mood.

"Annabeth, I know you're up here. Selena told us everything," Piper said softly.

Annabeth came out from her hiding spot, sniffling a little before speaking, "I'm not coming down, if that's what you're here for."

"You're going to have to come down at some point," Thalia said logically.

"Well, you're not allowed to tell anyone about this place. You promised when we were 6," Annabeth returned to her spot near the window, glancing up at her friends.

"I know, Annabeth. But I know you, and you're going to get hungry," Thalia sighed at the princess's stubbornness, something she was quite accustomed to, "Here, we brought you blankets and pillows if you really want to hide out for the night. I don't think it will help your case but whatever. I'm not bringing you food so you better come down tomorrow morning."

"Thanks Thals, Pipes," Annabeth said quietly as she watched her friends leave.

Annabeth watched the sun set over the kingdom before curling up with her blankets for the night, wishing she could just forget about everything and dreaming about running away from it all.


	2. Chapter 2

sorry, I know nothing has happened yet, but trust me : it will speed up! I have plans for this fic and I really don't to lose my OOMPFFF.

Also: credit Rick Riordan.

**chapter two**

The next morning Annabeth woke up at sunrise and her stomach was growling. She hadn't eaten dinner and grudgingly decided it was time to make the trek down for breakfast. Luckily, the palace was fairly empty as it was early enough in the morning for that most were still asleep or just waking up.

Annabeth stopped at her suite first to freshen up, tame her hair, and change out of the uncomfortable gown (which she couldn't believe she had slept in) into a pair of leggings, oversized sweatshirt, and fuzzy socks - an outfit the Duchess would surely be enraged by. Before the princess might have made an effort to wear something nicer to breakfast, maybe a simpler piece of neglige the Duchess approved for her as appropriate princess breakfast attire. But today Annabeth didn't care one bit.

She slid through the marble halls in her cozy socks to the kitchen where the chefs were beginning to prepare breakfast. It smelled of roasting coffee, syrup, and oranges. Annabeth loved it.

"Your Highness, how may we help you this morning?" the Head Chef asked her kindly.

"Good morning, Philip, I'd like a Poptart," Annabeth said in a surprisingly bright tone. She had decided as she was sliding around the palace that today she would do everything against the Duchess's wishes, and that was reason enough to be in a good mood. Plus, her guard was nowhere to be seen.

Philip eyed her warily, "That's not very healthy, Your Majesty."

"Hmm… you're right. Actually, I'd like an apple pie. There's fruit in there," Annabeth amended her decision, laughing to herself.

"A whole pie?"

"Yes, please. If it isn't too much trouble, of course. I just thought you already had some prepped," Annabeth smiled at him, turning on the charm.

"Of course, Your Majesty," the Head Chef nodded to her.

Annabeth grinned to herself as she got a glass of milk and sat at the counter to watch them heat up her pie in the oven. Soon it was out and ready to be plated.

"There's no need for a plate. I have a fork and I'll eat it all right out of the dish," Annabeth said quickly, holding up her fork.

One of the chefs set the pie in front of her on the table and the princess dug in, "Mmmmmm! This is delicious!" She shoveled forkfuls of delicious apple cinnamon sugar filling and flaky pie crust into her mouth at an alarming speed.

Annabeth heard someone coming and looked up as the young man she saw yesterday enter the kitchen. Her guard, _Sir Percy Jackson_. Ugh.

He was wearing black pants with a light blue shirt tucked into them. He looked exhausted, with dark bags under his eyes. Annabeth felt a pinch of guilt at the thought that maybe he had stayed up all night looking for her. After all, it wasn't his fault the Duchess hired him.

The guard's dazzling sea green eyes stared into Annabeth's grey ones for a moment, making her freeze and forget everything she was thinking about, before flickering down to the whole pie she had been busy consuming.

"Your Majesty, I'm so glad I found you. Your father has been very concerned ever since you didn't show up for dinner," he said, approaching the princess.

Annabeth licked her fork and studied the boy as he grew nearer, "Hmmm."

"I'm Percy Jackson, by the way. But you can call me Percy," Annabeth decided he was being irritatingly nice to her, especially since he looked so tired. She decided that this did not make her like him any more.

Annabeth ate another large forkful of apple pie, continuing to watch the guard as he began to feel uncomfortable since she had not said a single word to him yet. Annabeth wondered what he thought of her, after her outburst the day before. Then she reminded herself she didn't care what he thought. What right did he have to judge her? He didn't even know her.

Sir Jackson swallowed and Annabeth watched his adam's apple bob up and down, "That's not a very healthy breakfast you have there, is it?" Annabeth said nothing, but ate another bite of pie. "Look, princess, I know you don't like the idea of having a guard or protector or whatever, but the King hired me to look after you and I think he just wants to make sure you're safe."

Annabeth looked up to glare at him (she had been told she had a very scary glare), "Excuse me, _Percy_, but my father did not hire you. That ignorant, imbecile, empty-headed Duchess hired you, and force fed my father lies so he would believe she had descent intentions other than stealing my father's fortune and marrying me off to some vapid royalty so I can be miserable my whole life. Excuse me." The princess got up and left the kitchen, and her unfinished apple pie, much to her disappointment.

Annabeth groaned to herself as she heard Percy follow her. She was already mad he had ruined her good mood. Annabeth spun around, startling him, "Are you really going to follow me around everywhere?"

"Well, that was part of the job description," Percy smirked, looking down at her.

Annabeth was irritated she was so much shorter than him _and_ that he wouldn't leave her alone. _And _she hated his stupid smirk, "Ugh! Follow me then." She continued to hurry down the hallway.

Percy jogged to catch up to her, "Excuse me, princess, but your schedule says that you're supposed to begin your lessons now. And those are in the opposite side of the palace."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Yes, I know my way around the palace, Mr. Jackson. According to the Duchess, your job is to 'protect' me, and nothing else, alright? So don't worry about it."

"Okay, princess, I don't know why you hate me so much. This isn't really my idea of a fun time either, and I didn't choose to do this. Why can't we be friends?" Percy sounded so legitimately kind and genuine that it almost made Annabeth feel bad for being so rude. It also made her wonder how old this guy was, begging for her friendship like some preschooler. _Dang, I really am mean, _she thought.

"Look, I don't hate you, okay?" Annabeth sighed, looking over at him and immediately becoming absorbed in his eyes. It took her breath away. She quickly glanced away and breathed in, "I just don't particularly like you. And _stop_ calling me princess. I have a name."

"Sorry, Annabeth. How about you can get to know me and you'll like me and we can become friends," Percy said smoothly.

Annabeth tilted her head to the side, "Really? Because you sound like every other self-righteous young bachelor I've ever met."

"Except I'm genuine. And honest," Percy said, flashing her a brilliant smile.

The sound of loud clicking heels came from down the hallway and Annabeth immediately knew it was the Duchess. And she wasn't ready to face her quite yet…

"Shoot," Annabeth grabbed Percy's hand and dragged him in the opposite direction, through a wooden door and up a narrow staircase to a small octagon-shaped room, with floor to ceiling windows on each wall. It was like a fancy lookout tower.

The early morning sunrise streamed in through the glass beautifully and illuminated the entire room in an orange glow. Annabeth released Percy's hand and he stepped away from her, "Okay, what is your problem, _princess_? All you seem to do is run away from people."

Annabeth closed her eyes and responded through gritted teeth, "_Don't call me princess_," her eyes snapped open to look at the boy next to her, "And I don't just run away."

"Oh really?" Percy asked tauntingly, his eyebrows raised.

Annabeth scowled at him, "You don't understand. You don't know me. And you've clearly never experienced the Duchess."

"Hmm, I suppose you're right, _princess_."

Annabeth forced herself to refrain from punching him and instead turned away. She took a deep breath to clear her mind before looking back at Percy, who seemed to be watching her expectantly for a reaction. "Alright, just about now, the Duchess will be eating her breakfast. I don't care what you do, just stay a reasonable distance away from me, please. We're not friends."

"Wow, harsh. But whatever you say, princess," Percy grinned at her in such an annoying way it made Annabeth seethe as she marched out of the room and back down the stairs.

Percy followed her as she expertly navigated the palace halls, filled with servants polishing silver and vacuuming the expensive handmade rugs, on her way to the guest wing. On her way she ran into Selena, who was making the beds in the suites.

"Oh, Annabeth darling! There you are! I was so worried when you never came to bed for the night. Why aren't you studying? Did you have breakfast? Oh, you must go take a warm bath and I'll fetch you those cookies you adore and your favorite earl grey tea…" Selena rambled off, fussing over the princess as usual.

"Selena. Really, everything's fine. I already ate, and I'm just going to look for Thalia and Piper," Annabeth said calmly, having been quite used to the constant fretting. She knew Selena cared about her and was just looking out for her.

"Hmmm. If you insist. I saw your friends in the game room. But then back to your studies," Selena told her, giving her a reprimanding look.

"Of course," Annabeth smiled.

Percy, who was grinning, as he observed the scene from behind, nodded Selena, "Good morning, Miss Beauregard." Selena smiled at him in return.

Annabeth was already walking off but Percy soon caught up with her and followed her into a room off the main hall. The room was furnished for teenagers obviously, with multiple TVs, beanbags, couchs, and other games like foosball, skee ball, billiards, pinball, and air hockey took up much of the space in the room.

Piper and Thalia were sitting on the couch watching cartoons and eating cereal in their pajamas. Annabeth envied their lifestyle. She immediately flopped down next to them. Percy decided to respect her wishes and kept his distance.

"Hey Annabeth!" Piper exclaimed, as she ate a mouthful of Fruit Loops.

"Hey guys," Annabeth grumbled into the pillow.

"Wow, your day's going that great, huh?" Thalia laughed at her friend, "It's not even 8:30 in the morning."

Annabeth mumbled something unintelligible before popping her head up and speaking clearly, "Can I get some of that?"

"What, cereal? It's over on the counter. Did you not have breakfast?" Piper asked, her eyes focused on the old cartoon rerun on screen.

"That would explain why she's in such a bad mood," Thalia chuckled.

Annabeth poured herself a bowl of Fruit Loops with milk and then made her way back to her friends, "For your information, I did have breakfast. I just happen to still be hungry." She returned to her seat and wrapped a blanket around her feet.

"Yes, she's still hungry after eating an entire apple pie, apparently," Percy smirked from the corner, startling Piper and Thalia who were unaware of his presence.

"Whoa, Annabeth! Is that your guard?" Piper asked rather excitedly, the answer obvious. Thalia shot Piper a warning look, obviously sensing her friend's unhappiness around the subject, but the princess didn't notice.

Annabeth looked up from her bowl of cereal and glared at Percy, "Yes. That is who the Duchess hired. Sir Percy Jackson," She turned back to her friends, "And for the record, I did not eat a whole pie." Percy laughed.

"You know, he's cute, Annie. How old is he?" Piper inquired, always the boy crazed one. Thalia chuckled as she finished eating her cereal.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "I don't know. If you care, ask him yourself." She continued to eat her Fruit Loops, but immediately regretted the suggestion she gave her friend. That would only invite him into their conversation and let him feel as if he were part of their group, when he was most certainly _not_.

"Percy, how old are you?" Piper called out to the young man in the corner. She was never shy, especially when it came to boys. Piper was always playing matchmaker for Thalia and Piper. She never seemed to learn, even when the results turned out disastrously.

Percy came over to the girls, just as Annabeth knew he would, "I'm 18 years old, ma'am." Annabeth rolled her eyes. _What, so he's a perfect gentlemen to my friends but a jerk to me? _

Piper nudged Annabeth, not subtly at all, "That's only two years older, Annie." Annabeth glared at her, before taking another spoonful of cereal and purposefully ignoring Percy as he stood behind the couch they sat on.

"So, Annabeth, why aren't you in class? Doesn't the Duchess order your tutors to begin at 8?" Thalia asked, skillfully changing the subject.

Annabeth smiled gratefully, "Actually, today I am not following the Duchess's orders. What power does she have over me? What's she going to do if I don't go to ballet lessons? I already know how to dance, what's the point of continuing any of it?"

Thalia and Piper exchanged glances. The princess was known for her stubbornness, and even her best friends had a hard time talking her out of something.

"Well, how about you show Percy around the palace? That's productive isn't it?" Piper suggested brightly.

"I'm sure Percy has already seen enough of the castle..." Annabeth shrugged.

"Actually, I'd love a tour. I've never been inside the palace before. The Duchess gave me a brief description of where some things were, but it took me half an hour to find the kitchen and I think it would be beneficial to learn my way around," Percy jumped in.

"It's settled then. Annabeth after you finish eating, you can give Percy a tour of the castle," Piper said happily with her hands clasped together and held to her chest.

Annabeth sighed. She could never say no to Piper. No one ever could.


	3. Chapter 3

Annabeth gave her guard a full tour of the palace, conveniently leaving out her secret passageways and hiding spots, and adding her own witty commentary to relieve her boredom. To his credit, Percy did ask some intelligent questions.

She led him outside and showed him the grounds.

"This is the east garden, and over here are the royal stables," Annabeth gestured vaguely to the long building behind her.

"Stables? As in horses?" Percy asked.

_Not one of his brightest questions, _Annabeth thought. She rolled her eyes, "_No_, those are where our staff sleep."

"Oh, I'm loving the sarcasm, princess," Percy smirked, "Any chance I could see the horses?" He smiled charmingly at the princess, who scowled at him for using the nickname she despised. But... she did love the horses.

Annabeth sighed, "Fine. C'mon." She broke into a run to the stables, and Percy dashed after her. Annabeth entered the padlock combination and slid open the barn doors to reveal the rows of stalls, each housing a royal horse. She practically skipped over to the stall with the name "_Serendipity_" written in cursive on the side. The huge Clydesdale stuck her head out to greet Annabeth and let her stroke her nose. 'This is my horse, Serendipity, the best horse in the entire royal stable."

Percy followed her as she opened the door and stepped into her horse's stall. Annabeth held the rope attached to Serendipity's bridle and patted her flank lovingly. Percy held out his hand to let the horse sniff him before petting her muzzle. Serendipity neighed softly. "You're a good girl. Aren't you?" Percy spoke soothingly to the horse.

Annabeth studied the softer demeanor her guard took on when he was with her horse and realized that somewhere beneath his annoying smirk, there was a decent human with a kind side. She couldn't but smile at him.

Percy looked at her, his smile genuine and making his green eyes sparkle. She smirked at him playfully. Then his grin slipped back into a smirk and he shoved her lightly. Annabeth shoved him back. Percy pushed her again harder. This time Annabeth's ankles were crossed so she lost her balance and went sprawling into the pile of hay and mud in the corner of the stall.

Percy started laughing hysterically. Even Serendipity whinnied like she was giggling at the princess's mishap.

Annabeth sat up, covered in mud and hay, fuming. Her grey eyes flashed dangerously. "I will murder you, Jackson." She pushed herself up quickly, slipping on another patch of mud and nearly falling on her face again. Luckily, or unluckily in Annabeth's opinion, Percy caught her in his arms before she could hit the ground again. She quickly pushed herself out of his strong embrace as Percy continued to guffaw at the princess's mishaps, successfully making her even angrier. She stomped past her horse, shoving Percy as she left the stall. To Annabeth's disappointment, her guard only staggered a bit instead of falling over like she had.

Annabeth continued her march across the palace grounds, while picking pieces of hay out of her hair. _This better come out in the shower, _she grumbled to herself.

Percy ran after her, trying his best to contain his laughter, "Annabeth! Wait, I'm coming!"

Annabeth only walked faster. She was embarrassed and mad at herself for being so stupid, for putting her guard down and making a fool out of herself. In front of _Sir Percy Jackson_. _UGH! _Annabeth practically groaned out loud as she heard him catch up and walk right beside her, "Go away."

"Come on, you have to admit that was hilarious," Percy chuckled. He reached out to grab her arm, but then dropped it at the last minute and decided not to. They entered the palace, going up the grand staircase and down the corridor leading to her suite.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Whatever. I'm going to take a shower. Do whatever you want." She walked through her suite straight to the bathroom and turned on the water in the shower.

Percy apprehensively entered her suite, looking around at the lounge room with two navy roll arm sectionals with lots of pillows and throw blankets. There was a huge grey fleece bean bag in the corner and a bar cart filled with mugs, snacks, and a microwave. A flat screen TV and a shelf stuffed with books were on one wall, the other covered in framed pictures of Annabeth at different ages with her friends and other celebrities Percy could hardly believe she had met. He could see her bedroom through a large arch - the walls painted lime green with a king sized bed on a wrought iron frame sat in the center of the wall. A pair of french doors led out to a balcony overlooking the palace gardens.

Percy tentatively sat down on the couch to wait for the princess.

In the shower, Annabeth took her time massaging shampoo into her scalp to make sure all the mud was washed out. She used the time to form a plan - she was going to talk to her father to make him see her reasoning, _without _the Duchess there to sway his thoughts.

Annabeth stepped out of the warm water refreshed and wrapped herself in a towel before going into her closet to find something to wear. She opened a drawer, looking for a pair of sweatpants, only to find the entire dresser empty. Annabeth groaned to herself as she looked around her closet, realising the only clothing were elegant gowns and silk negligee. It was obviously the Duchess's doing, probably as some punishment for not going to her morning lessons. Some power play to show she still had control over Annabeth.

Annabeth felt her irritation and anger building in her chest as she pulled on a silk romper with rather revealing lace cutouts - one of the comfier options in her closet. She brushed her long blonde hair out and weaved it into a French braid in record time before slipping on a pair of moccasins.

Annabeth left her bedroom, jumping at the sight of Percy sitting in her lounge area. Percy immediately stood up as soon as he saw her, his green eyes wide, "Sorry princess, didn't mean to startle you." He looked down at her outfit, raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything.

The princess glared at him, her "I have to go find the Duchess and my father. This is ridiculous!" She huffed as she stomped out of her suite, her guard hurrying after her.

"Wait, princess! I really didn't mean to upset you. I don't see why you have to speak to the king about this…" Percy rambled on, obviously worried of the king thinking lower of him.

Annabeth froze and turned around to look up at her guard, her eyes squinted at him in confusion, "What? Do you really think this is about _you?_" When he didn't respond she huffed and rolled her eyes, "This is about the Duchess and her fucking stupid rules and regulations. Ugh!" She groaned.

"Whoa. I've never heard you curse before. You didn't strike me as the type," Percy's stupid smirk had returned, just as annoying as before.

Annabeth scowled at him. Her grey eyes seared through him, "Why? Because I'm Miss Perfect Princess? Because it's unladylike? Because the Duchess wouldn't approve? Screw ladylike. _Fuck_ ladylike!" She was on a roll now and couldn't seem to calm down.

Percy seemed to notice how worked up she was, as he slowly backed up from her, "That is _not _what I meant."

But Annabeth was already walking down the hallway away from him. Percy sighed and followed her.

Annabeth glanced at the clock at the top of the staircase. 3:45. That meant the Duchess would be setting up afternoon tea. She hurried toward the dining room in the east wing, Percy right behind her.

Duchess Carmila was sitting at the head of the table, a line of servants standing on either side of her. They were setting up a teapot, pitcher of cream and sugar, and mini tea sandwiches.

The Duchess looked up to see her coming, "Annabeth? What a surprise to see you!"

Annabeth stopped right next to the dining room table, "You have no right to go into my room and take my things." Percy decided to wait near the door, where he could still hear the conversation.

The Duchess rolled her eyes, "Annabeth, I don't know what you're talking about." She glanced at her outfit, "But I can see you're finally wearing something I picked out for you. It's looks nice. I have such excellent taste."

Annabeth glared at her, "I refuse to wear this lingerie crap around the castle. It's my home. I have the right to be comfortable here and you have no right to march in and tell me what I can or cannot wear. And you _most_ _certainly_ have no right to take my clothing or things. _You_ are the guest here. And I'm sure my father will agree with me." She took a deep breath, "Now, tell me where you put my clothing."

The Duchess's eyebrows raised in warning, "How dare you raise your voice to me again? You are such a disappointment of a princess. Your job is to be seen and not heard, to take your dance and tutor lessons, and find a prince to marry. You must get used to looking your best. You don't just get to wear whatever you want in the real world."

"Why the hell not? That is ridiculous!" Annabeth said, her voice raising, "You know what, whatever. I can always get more clothes. I'm going to see my father." She turned on her heel and ran from the room, a lump rising in her throat that she couldn't seem to swallow.

The Duchess called out to her, "Remember there's a ball tonight!"

Annabeth seethed. The Duchess made her so angry, she wanted to punch something. "Agh!" That's exactly what she did - punched a set of armor in the hallway, causing it to fall over with a bang.

Percy rushed toward her to see what the noise was, his forehead creased in concern, "Are you alright?"

Annabeth looked at him as if he were insane, "Do I look like I'm alright? Did you _hear _that conversation? Dammit!" She kicked the set of armor lying on the ground.

"I actually thought you were pretty badass," Percy said rather quietly.

Annabeth looked up at him, "Really?" No guy had ever called her badass before - they all called her beautiful, kind, pure, and perfect. "I mean, thanks."

"You're welcome," Annabeth felt herself blush under Percy's stare and immediately told herself snap out of it.

"Okay, well… I have to go to my father," Annabeth set off down the staircase to the throne room, allowing Percy to walk beside her. She found the King in a discussion with multiple advisors. Their conversation came to a screeching halt when they saw the princess.

"Gentlemen, please give us a moment," the King said. His advisors nodded respectfully to the King, and then the Annabeth, before leaving the throne room.

"Annabeth, I'm so glad you're here. I heard you didn't go to any of your lessons today…" the King looked at his daughter expertly. She dropped her eyes. "That's what I thought. Well, I'm here to make a deal with you."

"The Duchess…" Annabeth sighed, "Okay, I suppose I can listen to your proposition."

"I know you hate having a guard, but the Duchess thinks this would be easier than wondering where you are all day. I have to admit, it would save some stress," Annabeth wanted to interrupt but decided not too, "So, this is what I propose: you can leave the palace grounds, go do whatever you want in the kingdom, as long as you take Sir Jackson with you _and_ complete your lessons for the week."

Annabeth grinned, "Okay, I can accept that. And could you please tell the Duchess to give me my comfortable clothes back."

The King nodded, "I'll speak to her and I'm sure we can figure something out."

Annabeth hugged him, "Thank you, father."

The King smiled, "Your welcome, darling." He looked over at Percy, "Sir Jackson, I suppose you heard of the deal we just discussed. You are to continue your job guarding the princess, even outside the castle."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Percy bowed.

"Bye, Father," Annabeth said, kissing the King on the cheek and then hurrying out of the room. Percy, as always, followed her.

As soon as they were in the hallway, Annabeth broke out into a happy dance, "Yes, yes, yes! I get to leave the palace! This is amazing!"

Percy couldn't help but smile at the princess looking so happy. But then he felt bad that she was _this_ happy over something as simple as going outside the castle grounds.

"Oh my gods! We can go swim in the ocean! I've always wanted to do that. Have you been to the ocean, Percy?" Annabeth looked up at him expectantly.

"Yes, I can take you there if you'd like," Percy grinned down at her.

"Oh my gods, I can't wait! I wish we could go now," Annabeth skipped down the hall.

"Why can't we?" Percy asked, eager to keep her this overjoyed.

Annabeth froze, her shoulders slouching down, "There's a royal ball tonight," she sighed and turned around to face Percy, "Believe me, I wish I could miss it."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N : SORRY THIS TOOK A WHILE TO UPDATE!

I WAS ON VACAY IN HAWAII AND CALIFORNIA FOR A WHILE

PLEASE COMMENT AND LEAD FEEDBACK AND IDEAS!

**chapter four: **

Annabeth groaned as she stiffly turned around in a circle to see herself in the mirror. She scowled at her reflection, at the grey ball gown with a poofy tulle skirt, beaded bodice, and strapless sweetheart neckline. The dress was fairly simple compared to other gowns she had been forced to wear in the past but Annabeth still felt trapped and uncomfortable in the tight fabric.

Selena flitted around her, fluffing out her dress and singing praises, "This looks gorgeous on you, dear! You're quite a vision."

Annabeth pursed her lips and played with a strand of her golden hair, which was styled in perfect princess curls.

Selena finished primping her dress and noticed Annabeth's silence, "It could be worse, dear. At least you have these nice flats instead of heels." She gestured toward a leather ottoman in the corner of her room, "Sit."

Annabeth sat down and allowed her maid to lace the satin ballet flats up her legs, "I suppose you're right."

"Of course I'm right," Selena smiled, "Now. Makeup."

"Oh please, not a lot," Annabeth practically begged, "Please no foundation. And no eyeliner. And please no lipstick."

"Do not worry. I will keep it minimal," Selena promised, rummaging through the drawers of Annabeth's vanity until she found what she wanted. "Now close your eyes."

Annabeth sighed but complied as Selena dusted sparkly gold eyeshadow on her lids, applied a decent amount of mascara, and blended out the concealer under her eyes to hide the heavy bags from little sleep.

"Finished. Now let's go. The Duchess wishes to see," Selena ordered.

Annabeth scowled at the mention of the Duchess. The only reason she even stood up was because Selena was employed by the Duchess and Annabeth couldn't live with herself if she was the cause of her favorite maid being fired.

Selena and Annabeth both left her room and entered the lounge area of her suite to see Sir Percy Jackson sitting in the arm chair. He jumped to his feet as he noticed their entry.

Annabeth observed with approval that he had changed into a black suit and attempted to brush out his hair, making his even more handsome than before. Especially when his sea green eyes traveled up and down her body with a look of pure admiration, even if just for a second, before meeting her sparkling grey ones. The look in his eyes for that instant made her shiver and little tingles shot up and down her body.

"Your Majesty, " He bowed to her. Annabeth blushed despite the fact that she was 99% he only did this because Selena was there and so he had to put on his perfect gentleman facade.

She nodded to him, smiling lightly.

The door to the suite opened and Annabeth's grin disappeared as the Duchess entered the room. She was deep in conversation with a lady in a headset frantically scribbling things on a clipboard - the organizer of the ball no doubt. The Duchess was wearing a long sleeveless navy gown with a v-neck much lower than was appropriate for her age. Annabeth would have chuckled at the irony of it if she weren't still mad that Carmila hadn't returned her clothes yet.

The Duchess shooed the headset lady away and focused her attention on Annabeth. She shook her head as she approached the princess. "Annabeth, what is this? You're supposed to look presentable for tonight," the Duchess crossed her arms. "You're as freckled as a farmhand and this tan will NOT do. What man wants to look at that? Perhaps if you spent less time outside, like I ask. Enough powder will tone this down and make it regal. And go put on the red gown, if not for yourself, then for Prince Luke Castellan when he sees you in it."

Annabeth flushed in anger, despising the fact that she had brought up the name of her persistent suitor. Like Annabeth cared what he thought. "No. I'm not changing. I think this dress is perfectly presentable. Everyone at the ball will already know who I am, why on Earth do I have to make some astounding entrance? The red dress is nothing but an obnoxious mess of glitter that's a nuisance to put on and frankly makes me look like some pretentious brat that just wants to flash her fortune," Annabeth snapped, "And you can't make me put on more makeup."

The Duchess glared at her, "Young men don't like drab dresses, let alone girls who know more words than they do." Annabeth flushed as she realized Percy was still in the room, studying the ground near his feet like the gentlemen he seemed to act like. But she knew he heard every word.

"_Futue te ipsi_," Annabeth swore in perfect Latin, which she knew the Duchess would not understand, "_Morologus es_!" (literally translates to "fuck you, you're talking like a moron")

The Duchess narrowed her eyes, "Fine. Wear that ugly thing. Why do I even bother helping you? As if anything I say is actually going to change you or make a man like you. Honestly, you'll probably be alone for all of eternity, Annabeth." With that last biting insult, the Duchess turned and stomped out of the room.

Annabeth looked down at the floor and swallowed the lump that always grew in her throat whenever the Duchess affronted her. No matter how many times she said the same hurtful things, Annabeth never thought she would get used to it. She missed her mother and her encouraging words more than ever at times like this.

When Annabeth was young, she loved the royal balls. She adored getting dressed up in the nice gown she would pick out with her mom. She loved getting to wear her mother's diamond earrings and a tiara for the night because they made her feel so adult. Then Annabeth, her mother, and her father would enter the dance together - as one united, perfect royal family. Annabeth would watch her mother and father waltz, so obviously in love, and wished that she had her own prince to dance with. Then her father would approach her, bow to her, and politely ask her for a dance. Annabeth would always giggle and say yes, and then he would waltz her around the entire ballroom. Little Annabeth had felt like she was on top of the world in those moments, laughing and spinning. She remembered thinking her daddy was the king of the world. Sometimes Athena would join them and Annabeth would swing on her parents' arms or they would all dance in a circle to the upbeat polkas.

Back in those days, everything was perfect. Annabeth would fall asleep, after being tucked into bed by both of her parents and her mother singing her lullaby, feeling perfectly happy and loved.

But then her mother got into a car accident, and died on impact.

Annabeth thought back to that day, almost eight years ago. She remembered overhearing the news being told to her father by the royal guards. She had sprinted up to her secret hiding place in the tower, and sobbed and sobbed and sobbed until she felt hollow inside. Her father never really discussed it with her, but she could see that he was struggling, maybe even more than she was. Annabeth could tell he was trying to remain strong and do his best. But he would never be the same again.

She wished more than anything that he had continued to raise her and keep their relationship close, but instead he had enlisted the Duchess to help take care of her. For years Annabeth was furious with him for attempting to fill Athena's role in the castle and their family. But as she got older, Annabeth grew more rebellious and longed for adventures outside the palace walls. She would go against Duchess Carmila's orders, which infuriated the Duchess, but Annabeth didn't care one bit. The princess slowly began to forgive her father and they got closer again. Yet Annabeth knew in her heart, that no matter how hard she wished it to be so, things were never going to be like they were before.

With a painful jolt of her heart Annabeth realized that soon she would be living longer after Athena's death then with her alive, since Athena died when she was but eight years old. The thought made Annabeth gasp for a breath as the thought of forgetting her mother's presence surfaced.

Annabeth took a deep breath and looked up at Selena, who put a hand on the princess' arm comfortingly but didn't say anything. The princess collected herself quickly, purposely avoiding Percy's eye.

The door to Annabeth's suite opened again and the princess was about to scream if it was the Duchess. Luckily, two girls dressed up in ball gowns bustled in, giggling. Annabeth beamed as she saw her best friends.

Piper was wearing a beautiful satin lilac dress with a fitted torso and spaghetti straps. Her hair was woven into an intricate braid embellished with light violet flowers. Thalia had on an off-the-shoulder electric blue gown that made her eyes stand out and set off her paler skin perfectly. Her hair was straight and down.

"Annabeth!" Piper danced over to her, grabbing Annabeth's bare shoulders and looking her over, "I love your dress! Such simple elegance. And it makes your eyes look spectacular! Don't you think Thals?"

Thalia grinned and rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah. Annabeth looks gorgeous as always."

Annabeth rolled her eyes, "Thanks guys. You look amazing too."

Piper waved her hand like it didn't matter and smiled like a Cheshire Cat, "Don't _you _think she looks gorgeous, _Percy?_"

Percy looked up, flushing, obviously a little flustered and put on the spot, "Oh…. yeah. She looks breathtaking." He peered thoughtfully at Annabeth for a moment and then returned to looking at the ground.

Annabeth glared at Piper as her friend squealed silently. Thalia and Annabeth exchanged glances.

Selena interrupted, "Let's go, ladies. The dance will begin shortly." She corralled them out of the room.

As they walked down the halls of the palace, Piper was still giggling in the way most guys found adorable, "Percy, are you going to the ball?"

Percy gently shook his head, "Only to look after the princess." He smirked at Annabeth. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

Thalia chuckled, "Good luck. I suppose you have the task of keeping Annie here out of trouble." Annabeth shot Thalia a betrayed look.

Percy's smirk deepened, "_Annie_, huh? I think I may like that better than princess."

Annabeth scowled, "It's _Your Majesty_ to you."

"_Of course, _Your Majesty Princess Annie," Percy mocked bowing to her.

Annabeth bit her lip to keep from smiling and shoved him, "Shut up_._"

Thalia and Piper raised their eyebrows expectantly at her, to which Annabeth glared.

They reached the grande marble entrance hall where ladies in beautiful gowns of all colors and men in suits were lining up to enter the ballroom. Piper, Thalia, and Annabeth joined the very end of the line, while Percy wandered off to some other guards.

Once everyone else had entered the ball, the royal herald announced from the top of the grand velvet staircase, "Now entering: the royal ladies-in-waiting Piper Katoptris McClean and Thalia Beryl Grace." The two girls effortlessly floated down the stairs with expert grace as the crowd applauded.

Annabeth took a deep breath and smoothed out her dress as she positioned herself behind the huge double doors. On the other side she heard the herald thump his staff three times and the entire room went silent, "We now present you: Her Majesty Annabeth Athena Chase-Olympian, _Princess_ of Olympia." The doors dramatically swung open, revealing the princess to the cheering crowd that filled the ballroom.

Annabeth stepped forward and beamed at her guests. She scanned the crowd and saw many familiar faces - the scowling Duchess near the door, Percy staring at her as he leaned against a pillar, Piper and Thalia standing near their friend Hazel Levesque. The only person not there was her father. Not that it was a surprise. He hadn't been to a single ball since Queen Athena died, it didn't matter if it were in his own castle.

Annabeth lightly lifted the long skirt of her gown and began to slowly descend the staircase, a breathtaking smile still plastered on her face. Once the princess reached the floor of the ballroom, everyone began to chatter again and the band began a sweet waltz.

Annabeth joined her three friends on the side of the ballroom. Hazel was a short girl with curly hair in a gorgeous gold dress that accentuated her darker skin and sparkling eyes, who also happened to be the princess of a nearby kingdom. She greeted Annabeth with a hug, "Annabeth! It's so wonderful to see you! How are things with the Duchess?" she asked with a sympathetic look.

Annabeth's smile dipped into a slight frown, "It's like always. I can handle it."

Hazel wrapped Annabeth into another embrace. Annabeth couldn't help but smile as she happily accepted her friend's affectionate habits.

Annabeth pulled away and asked with a grin, "So where's Frank?"

Hazel blushed at the mention of the royal officer who had captured her heart, "Oh I'm sure he's around here somewhere. Probably with the food and drinks."

"Ooh, you haven't met Annie's new protector yet!" Piper squealed, bouncing on Hazel's arm.

Hazel raised her eyebrows, "Protector? What, is he cute? I thought you were smitten for Jason."

Piper flushed, "Shhh! Not so loud!" Piper glanced around them frantically to make sure no one heard, "And yes, this new guy's quite cute. But definitely not my type. _Annie_ however…." she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, earning a smack from Thalia.

"Zip it, Pipes," Annabeth hissed.

"His name's Percy. See for yourself, Hazel," Piper said, nodding her head to the side.

All four beautiful girls, standing in a quite formidable line, turned to look at Sir Percy Jackson. He was leaning against a pillar on the outskirts of the ballroom, looking as handsome as ever as he surveyed the room. He must have felt the four pairs of eyes on him because he quickly turned to look at the girls, scanning over all of them, and them settling on Annabeth, who quickly looked down.

"He's staring at you, Annie," Hazel whispered with a grin.

"No he's not," Annabeth insisted, looking anywhere but the raven-haired boy across the room. All three of her friends rolled their eyes in unison.

Annabeth felt a tap on her shoulder and spun around to see a handsome blond-haired guy in a navy suit with a sash and multiple medals, proving his royal status as a prince. The prince's icy blue eyes pierced into Annabeth's soul uncomfortably. "Prince Castellan! What a surprise to see you!" Annabeth smiled softly as the prince lifted her hand to kiss it in greeting.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Annabeth. You look even more enchanting then I remember. I brought you these flowers, and please, call me Luke," Prince Luke handed her a large bouquet of fuchsia and white orchids.

"Oh thank you. You really shouldn't have. I'll have to find a place for these right away…" Annabeth began to turn away as the prince caught her arm.

He gave her a flirty smile, "I'm sure you could hand that off to a servant of yours and join me for a dance instead?"

Annabeth bit her lip, "I suppose that would be okay. Please just give me a moment." She turned around and handed the flowers to Piper, whispering, "Give these to one of the palace workers please. The dancing has begun already apparently." She rolled her eyes and Piper gave her a sympathetic look.

Annabeth turned back around and accepted Luke's waiting hand to lead her out into the middle of the dance floor filled with other couples. He led her through the trickier steps of the waltz, not that she needed help. Annabeth had long since mastered the art of ballroom dancing. He held her waist firmly in one hand with both of their hands clasped in the other. The princess's free arm rested on his shoulder.

Annabeth looked around a little distractedly as they danced, silently wishing that one of her friends would come over and save her, but none were in sight.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look on this wonderful evening?" Luke asked, staring at Annabeth with such intensity it made her feel even more uncomfortable.

"Yes, you did," she tried to keep the irritance out of her voice.

"Well I think you deserve to hear it again. You look _breathtaking,_" Luke whispered the last word in her ear, giving her goosebumps. Then he held out her arm so she could spin away from him, her skirt flaring around her like an ocean of tulle. She spun back into his embrace.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

Luke's face was exceedingly close to hers and she tried not to jerk her face back. But when it became clear that his intentions were to kiss her, she pushed him away, "What are you doing?" she tried her best to keep her voice low and keep down the panicked feeling quickly rising in her chest.

"What _princess, _are you too shy for it here? That's okay… we can go to my palace. Hmmmm… in my limo even," Luke spoke harshly and suggestively in a voice that made her skin prickle. She looked around for her friends frantically as he grabbed her wrist tightly and tried to pull her away.

"I said… _get off me_!" Annabeth tried to pull her arm away but his grip was too strong.

"Come on now, princess. Don't make a scene. I know you want me," he continued to pull her.

"You bastard!" Annabeth felt her voice raise and she soccer-punched him straight in the jaw with enough force for him to loosen his grip so she could pull her arm away.

By that time Percy was there standing in front of Annabeth protectively, snarling, "_Get away from her_. Get out of this palace." His eyes were a dark melicious green and the look in them honestly scared her.

Luke scowled up at him, "Who are you to tell me what to do, pretty boy? Annabeth and I were just having some fun that's all."

Annabeth became acutely aware that everyone in the ballroom was staring at them in silence. Even the band had ceased playing.

Luke made his way toward the princess again but Percy pushed him back. Luke ran towards him in an effort to grab him but Percy punched him in the jaw -again- and this time he fell over. A swarm of other guards all in black suits grabbed Luke's arms and hauled him away. "You have no right to do this! No right! I'm a prince. You _bitch, _leading me on like that!" he spit at Annabeth, who flinched but held her glare.

When the prince was out of sight, Percy turned back to Annabeth, his sea green eyes melting into a soft look full of care, "Are you alright?"

Annabeth took a deep breath to calm herself and her racing heart and swallowed, "I'm fine. Thank you."

Percy almost looked surprised at the gracious response from the headstrong, steely eyed girl, "Of course."

Annabeth's friends pushed forward through the murmuring crowd. Thalia stood beside a dark, haired pale boy Annabeth knew as Nico. Piper was holding hands with a blond haired boy with a chiseled jaw - Jason. And Hazel had two guys with her, one buff and tall with a buzz cut and one short and scrawny with curly hair and a pointy nose - Annabeth knew Frank was the bigger one but she had no clue who the Latino boy was.

The three girls swarmed around Annabeth, their partners hesitating behind them. The rest of the crowd dispersed, murmuring and returning to their dancing.

"Annabeth, are you okay?" -Hazel

"Oh my god, what happened?" -Piper

"I heard a slap, did you punch him? I hope you punched him, that dick! -Thalia

"Guys, I'm fine. I'm good. It's all good," Annabeth put her hands up as if to fan down her friends, "Luke just tried to make a move and then tried to take me with him. So I punched him."

"Hell yeah!" Thalia cheered, "Go Annie!"

The girls' significant others shook hands with Percy, who was still hanging around behind Annabeth.

"Hey man, nice moves," the scrawny boy commended, shaking his hand.

"Thanks, just doing my job," Percy replied, "I'm Percy Jackson."

"Leo Valdez, Duke of Hephaestus," the smaller boy said.

"You're Princess Annabeth's new guard, huh? Pipes told me about you," Jason said, reaching out to shake his hand, "I'm Jason Grace. Duke of Jupiter."

"And I'm Nico Di Angelo, Duke of Hades," the pale dark-haired boy said.

"Frank Zhang, Knight of Mars," the buff Asian dude said.

"Good to meet you all," Percy replied and the guys made some insignificant small talk as the girls were still in their huddle.

"Oh no, incoming," Piper hissed. The girls all turned around to see Duchess Carmila storming through the flocks of guests. Her deathly glare was pointed right at Annabeth.

Annabeth took a deep breath and stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Her friends stepped back, leaving Annabeth standing alone with Percy a little off to the side.

"_Annabeth, what on Earth was that_?" Carmila's voice was furious and barely above a whisper, as she seemed to try to not make a scene.

"It was nothing. Prince Castellan was harassing me but he's gone now," Annabeth said calmly, hopefully furthering her case that the prince was a creep and not the gentlemen the duchess seemed to think he was.

"What - he tried to kiss you, so you _punch him_? Please tell me, how is that logical behavior for a princess?" the duchess demanded.

Annabeth rolled her eyes, getting ready to say something when Percy jumped in, "With all due respect, Your Majesty, I believe the princess behaved perfectly appropriately in the situation. She did the same thing I would have done if I had gotten there before. The blame should be mine for not noticing sooner."

The Duchess pursed her lips, clearly not excited about the way Sir Percy Jackson was standing up for the princess, "Fine. But if I see you displaying such audacious violent behavior again, Annabeth, there will be consequences." She turned on her heel and marched back through the ballroom, almost colliding with a couple spinning around the dance floor.

Annabeth huffed before finally looking up at Percy, almost shyly, "Thanks." She said with a small smile. She couldn't help but feel mortified about the whole situation, especially with the Duchess.

He gazed at her intently with a light smirky-smile, "No problem. I'm sorry you had to go through that. I should've been paying more attention. It's literally my job and I already screwed up on day one." Percy was clearly frustrated as he looked down and ran a hand through his hair, leaving it more messy than before.

"It's fine," Annabeth looked up and met his gaze steadily, "I can take care of myself, you know."

Behind them, Annabeth's friends drifted off to give them some space - Annabeth could imagine Piper shuffling them off in hopes of Annabeth getting some perfect moment.

It was a small movement but Annabeth noticed as he wet his lips before pressing them together, "I know." He sighed, "If I were you, I would hate having me always around here to look after you. Especially if its because of the Duchess. _God_, I really shouldn't be saying this, but how do you put up with her?"

Annabeth chuckled dryly, "Just gotten used to it, I guess."

Percy peered at her closely. It made Annabeth's heart hammer and skin tingle under his eyes, "You shouldn't have to put up with the things she says to you. None of it is true. You have to know that."

Annabeth swallowed and looked down, "Yeah." All of the sudden it all felt so weird and intimate. This guard dude had just appeared a day ago and already was making her head spin. She took a few steps back, "Look, I should really go. Mingling and stuff to do, y'know." Annabeth was nodding her head as if approving her own excuse, while turning away before she could see Percy's reaction.

"Right, okay," he murmured behind her, looking down and then around to see if anyone was watching.

But she was already lifting up the skirts of her gown and power walking towards the buffet table to stuff herself with some mac-n-cheese puffs. Even as she was stuck in a boring conversation with a few members of Parliament, the thought of leaving the grounds of the castle the following day _for real_ made her giddy and she had to bite her cheek to keep from smiling like an idiot.


End file.
